defeat
gb/dɪfˈit/ us/dɪfˈit/
A2
Anglais
~ 3000
Sens
0 sens
Verbe
A2
action
1
To win against someone
To win against someone in a game, fight, or other contest.
Schéma d’usage :
to defeat [someone/something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'defeat' with 'beat' in casual speech; 'beat' is more common informally, but 'defeat' is more formal and often used in writing or official contexts.
Synonymes
beat (More informal and common in everyday speech, especially in sports contexts.)
Antonymes
lose to (Indicates failing to win against someone or something.)
Collocations
defeat the enemy
|defeat an opponent
|defeat a team
|soundly defeat
|narrowly defeat
Thèmes
sports
|war
|competition
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The team defeated their rivals in the final match.
- The army was defeated after a long battle.
- She defeated her opponent in straight sets.
- The proposal was defeated in parliament.
- He managed to defeat the reigning champion.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Our team defeated their team.
- The army defeated the enemy.
- She defeated her friend in the game.
- We defeated them in the race.
- He defeated the old champion.
Nom
A2
event
2
Loss in a contest
When you lose against someone in a game, fight, or other contest.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone]'s defeat by [someone/something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse 'defeat' (noun) with 'defeat' (verb). The noun refers to the loss itself, not the act of causing it.
Synonymes
loss (General term for failing to win; less formal.)
Antonymes
victory (The state of winning a contest or battle.)
Collocations
suffer defeat
|face defeat
|admit defeat
|heavy defeat
|unexpected defeat
Thèmes
sports
|war
|competition
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The general refused to admit defeat.
- Their unexpected defeat shocked the fans.
- He suffered a crushing defeat in the election.
- The team faced defeat for the first time this season.
- Her defeat in the tournament was disappointing.
Exemples pédagogiques
- We had a big defeat yesterday.
- They suffered defeat in the game.
- It was our first defeat this year.
- The defeat made them sad.
- He faced defeat with courage.
Verbe
B1
action
3
Stop something from succeeding
To stop a plan, law, or attempt from working or happening.
Schéma d’usage :
to defeat [a plan/proposal/attempt]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners might overuse this sense when 'reject' or 'block' would be more natural outside formal decision-making contexts.
Synonymes
block (Informal term meaning to stop something from happening.)
Antonymes
approve (To officially accept or allow something to proceed.)
Collocations
defeat a bill
|defeat a motion
|defeat an attempt
Thèmes
politics
|law
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
|business
|work
Exemples
- The committee defeated the proposed amendment.
- His attempt to change the rules was defeated by the board.
- The bill was defeated in the Senate.
- They worked together to defeat the motion.
- Efforts to reform the system were defeated.
Exemples pédagogiques
- They defeated the new law.
- The bill was defeated last week.
- We defeated his plan.
- The proposal was defeated in the meeting.
- The idea was defeated quickly.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
defeat
API
GB/dɪfˈit/
US/dɪfˈit/
Syllabes et accentuation
de - feat (2 syllabes)
Stress on 2nd syllable (feat)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: defeat
- Plural: defeat, defeats
Verb
- Base: defeat
- 3rd Person Singular: defeats
- Present Participle: defeating
- Past: defeated
Famille de mots
Forms
defeats
noun
defeating
verb
defeated
verb
Negative and opposite forms
undefeated
adjective
Advanced or less common
defeatist
adjective
defeatism
noun
Expressions
in defeat
1/ˈɪn dɪfˈit/
fixed phrase
During or after losing
While or after losing a game, fight, or contest.
Exemples
- He remained calm in defeat.
- They showed respect for their opponents in defeat.
snatch defeat from the jaws of victory
1/snˈæt͡ʃ dɪfˈit fɹˈʌm ðə d͡ʒˈɔz əv vˈɪktɚi/
idiom
informal
Lose when close to winning
To end up losing when you were very close to winning.
Exemples
- The team managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory after leading most of the match.
- He snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by making a careless mistake.
admit defeat
1/ədmˈɪt dɪfˈit/
fixed phrase
Stop trying after failing
To accept that you cannot win and stop trying.
Exemples
- After hours of trying, he finally admitted defeat and called for help.
- After hours of trying to fix the computer, he finally admitted defeat.
- We had to admit defeat and cancel the project.
- The company admitted defeat and withdrew from the market.